Their MARRIAGE Plan
by C1ndy3lla
Summary: When the Mate Appointment Resolution for Reducing Infant Anti-magical Gene Emergence (M.A.R.R.I.A.G.E) Act was imposed by the Ministry 6 years after the war, Hermione had the perfect plan so she and her appointed mate, formerly her professor, would remain unmarried and childless. After two years successfully avoiding its enforcement, something has gone horribly wrong...
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is my very first story and I can't believe I'm actually publishing something rather than simply reading! I'm not using a beta, but I try to proof-read everything as much as possible so please try to forgive any minor grammar/spelling issues you come across.

One note to help your reading-spoken text is in quotations. Any character thoughts are italicized.

Please read and review! I'd love to hear some feedback before I post the next chapter :)

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Severus Snape set the Ministry notice on the table next to his steaming mug of tea and slowly lowered his head into his hands, his normally unflappable exterior persona visibly shaken from what he'd just read.

**Severus Tobias Snape,**

**Congratulations on your confirmed binding under the Mate Appointment Resolution for Reducing Infant Anti-magical Gene Emergence (M.A.R.R.I.A.G.E) Act to Hermione Jean Granger. Ministry records have been updated to reflect your new marital status, and all forthcoming hearing dates have been canceled. Please address any additional queries regarding this matter to your Ministry Appointed M.A.R.R.I.A.G.E. Act liaison in writing and a formal response will be delivered within 30-days of receipt.**

**Sincerely,**

**Office of Magical Censuses and Recordkeeping**

_How could this have happened? Hermione arranged everything perfectly. There's no possible way…_

Severus reflected on the last two years since the the M.A.R.R.I.A.G.E. Act passed, wondering how Hermione's seemingly perfect solution had gone so wrong.

* * *

The _M.A.R.R.I.A.G.E. Act _was originally proposed by the ministry 6 years after The Final Battle to combat the plummeting birthrate of magical children to wizards and witches within the UK since the conclusion of the war. At the time the law had been rolled out, Minerva McGonagall and Poppy Pomfrey had been the only souls who had known Severus Snape had survived the war. Of course his plans to remain in hiding were unceremoniously shattered when the first ministry missives had been sent to all eligible witches and wizards notifying them of their assigned matches under the new law. When the news that he had been matched with former student and war hero Hermione Granger hit The Daily Prophet, he had wrongly assumed she had gone to the press in outrage and horror that the ministry had matched her with 'The Dungeon Bat' rather than Ronald Weasley (to whom Severus had also wrongly assumed she'd been attached since the final battle).

He was therefore stunned when he was informed by Minerva that Hermione had done no such thing and had instead attempted to quietly request a meeting organized by her former Head-of-House in a discreet, neutral location to discuss how they were to proceed. Although dismayed by the prospect of forced marriage to a girl he remembered being a tremendous thorn-in-his-side throughout his years teaching her, the maturity she displayed in handling the situation made him inclined to accept and he agreed to allow Minerva to arrange the meeting. They met on a sunny, Thursday afternoon in August in the Headmistress's office while Minerva held a planned staff event off school grounds so Hermione and Severus could enter and leave the premises without notice or gossip from the other professors.

Severus entered the meeting intrigued by what had become of one of the brightest minds of their age in the post-war chaos. He could now admit to himself she was amazingly intelligent, even if she annoyed him to no end and his position as a Spy would never allowed him to voice during her time as his pupil. He hoped she'd had the opportunity to pursue more advanced educational pursuits without the threat of a war looming overhead after VMTs defeat. He was not to be disappointed as she entered Minerva's office clad in business robes which she promptly removed to reveal a very flattering blouse, pencil skirt, and sensible pumps as she sent a hefty stack of books and several parchments between them on the table. She rose, meeting SS's eyes for the first time and her lips quirked upward in a smile.

"It's wonderful to see you professor," she said simply, "and especially in good health."

He inclined his head slightly and replied, "It pleases me you appear to be likewise healthy, Miss Granger? Although I must admit the circumstances are quite…regrettable." Inwardly he cringed as he said this, assuming she would misinterpret his meaning and jump straight to the defensive.

She merely nodded. "Don't mistake my meaning, sir," she continued, scowling "as I have no qualms with you as a potential partner. I do, however, strongly object to any partnership arranged by a governing agency."

Severus felt his notorious eyebrow rise nearly to his hairline at this statement. _She doesn't object to me as a potential partner? Rubbish. _He did not voice his suspicion aloud, however. A well-trained Slytherin, he would wait until she inevitably showed her hand before offering any of his own opinions.

When he didn't reply, as predicted, she had more to offer. "I've been doing some investigating in my capacity as a researcher for Magical Law Enforcement, and while I haven't found a way to nullify the effects of the law entirely, I may have found a loophole as it were."

"Color me intrigued, Miss Granger." He replied. "What could the ministry possibly have missed in writing this insipid law?"

"Hermione" she stated simply. When he looked at her with confusion she sighed, "Please call me Hermione. I haven't been your student in nearly 7 years now, and if we are potentially to marry and bond, I would prefer it if you would call me by my given name, sir."

"Then I suppose you may call me Severus."

Her lips quirked up again in response and she continued, "I believe the ministry has created a loophole by confusing the terminology between the main body of the law and the procreation clause. The body of the law stipulates _assigned mates _must copulate daily during the woman's 'peak fertility' monthly, while the procreation clause states _bonded couples _are not permitted to use muggle or magical forms of birth control for two years immediately following the marriage."

He refused to allow his confusion to be openly displayed on his face. He simply stared at her, arms crossed until she explained.

"Don't you see, Severus? Assigned mates and bonded couples are not the same! We can meet the copulation requirement monthly without being married, and since we wouldn't be bonded I could continue on the potion while doing so! The language is vague enough to submit a formal appeal, and I happen to know the Department of Magical Law Enforcement is so backlogged with appeals, in the worst case this would allow us several years before we'd be faced with any _real_ requirement to marry. Given the amount of public outcry, it's highly likely the law could be appealed long before it would ever come to that point."

"And exactly how does that help you Miss Granger?" Severus snapped, turning his head to examine the collection of magical devices remaining from Dumbledore's tenure adorning the left wall of the office. "You're saving yourself from a life-bond with me? You couldn't be faced with the horror of bearing any miniature dungeon bats? You'd still be forced to _copulate _with me regularly. Or do you intend to simply close your eyes and think of Mr. Weasley and hope he's similarly inclined to fight the parameters of this ridiculous law until it's eventually appealed?"

"Severus I already told you this has nothing to do with my views of you as a suitable partner." He continued to look at the wall, scowl firmly in place as she responded. She waited patiently hoping he would turn back to look at her. After several moments passed she tried again more softly, "Severus?" He finally turned back to look at her but his arms were still crossed and scowl firmly planted. "Please believe me. I know you are a good man, one of the best if you want my opinion, and I have no doubt that you and I would make a very tolerable and agreeable life together if forced. But I hardly know you, at least not outside our interactions as a student and teacher when you were impressed upon to do the bidding of two opposing masters. When I marry, I want to love the man wholeheartedly and I want him to feel the same for me. I want any children I may one day have to be born out of that love and not because they were forced upon me by a government who thinks it knows best for its citizens. I want their father to love them more than anything in the world."

At this Severus visibly softened. He knew what it was like to be born into a loveless marriage and while he knew he could never be abusive toward his wife or children like his father before him, he never wanted a child of his to experience the emotional toll of knowing they were unwanted as he was.

"And what of Mister Weasley?" he asked, though his tone implied more curiosity than vitriol.

"Ron and I were over before we'd really begun. While I admit there was a time it seemed the natural choice when the war was over, we quickly realized our friendship was largely based on our connections to Harry and lacked any meaningful shared interests. I will always care for Ron as a friend, but I've not felt anything for him romantically in several years now."

Hermione sat quietly with her hands folded in her lap, but showed no sign of unease or dishonesty. Although Severus had been tempted to call upon his old talents of Occlumency to confirm her body language, he resisted. That wouldn't, after all, be starting out on the right foot.

"So how are you proposing we proceed from here, Hermione?" he asked tentatively after a moment of companionable silence.

"I will file the formal appeal as I can ensure it is buried among the mountains of other appeals backlogged in the DMLE. I will of course notify you if I become aware of any changes. I suggest we set aside the evenings of the second week each month for assured compliance with the law—we can meet at one of our homes or an agreed-upon neutral location if you'd prefer and leave it at that if you'd rather no more interaction with me than is strictly necessary."

"And what if the situation….changes?" he questioned.

"We can discuss any amendments to the agreement as the need arises."

"So I'll see you in…roughly…two weeks?" He questioned as he looked at his watch and noted the date displayed.

She nodded standing and moving around the table to shake his hand. "Until then, Severus."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews already! I really do appreciate the constructive feedback since this is my first story! I thoroughly enjoy writing, but this is the first time I've shared anything I've written with anyone outside of assignments and essays I authored in school (several) years ago!

Please keep the feedback coming! I know the marriage law is a pretty common trope, but it's one I enjoy when well written and I'm hoping this will be an enjoyable twist!

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Two years after Hermione and Severus agreed to her proposed arrangement to avoid the marriage law, Hermione's heels clacked along the marble floor as she walked purposefully toward the minister's office. Without knocking, she barged into the room, strode over to Kingsley's desk, and slammed the notice she'd received from The Office of Magical Censuses down on his desk, causing him to jump and jostle the articles on his desk.

"What is the meaning of this?!" she raged as Kingsley looked up from his morning briefings, startled by the younger witch's rage.

Picking up the sheet of paper, he replied, "Hermione what on earth are you talking about? Could this not wait until after I'd finished reading my daily reports?"

"This absolutely CANNOT wait. I know my arrangement with Severus and my subsequent appeal of our match under the M.A.R.R.I.A.G.E. Act has created something of a controversy for your office, but you could have at least told me before you allowed them to deny my appeal!"

Reading the notice, Kingsley's eyes widened as he understood the reason for the young witch's sudden ire. "Hermione," he started, "I haven't received any notice that your appeal was up for review, let alone authorize any denial."

"Then how on earth could this have happened?" she raged. "No changes to the law have been authorized, so it's impossible the appeal could have been nullified due to any new provisions to the law. How could they push through the denial without anyone knowing?"

"I assure you, Hermione, I have no idea how this could have happened. I'm sure there must be some mistake and we will do everything we can to correct this."

"The bond is already sealed!" exclaimed Hermione. "I felt the change in my magic when I awoke this morning, but I didn't recognize what had occurred until I received the notice. Even if this was some 'clerical error,' there's no reversing it now! What am I going to do? Severus is going to be livid when he finds out!"

"Hermione," Kingsley began cautiously, "are you sure nothing has changed in your arrangement with Severus? You both have developed such a lovely friendship over the last couple years-is it possible maybe subconsciously one of you wanted the bond sealed?"

Hermione turned away from Kingsley and considered this for a moment. He did have a point—over the last two years, Severus and Hermione had developed a friendship out of mutual respect and admiration of one another after spending a week together monthly for the duration of the law. She knew from the outset Severus was a brilliant although guarded man, and as the months passed and they began to get to know one another, she started eagerly anticipating their time together as she had come to genuinely enjoy his company."

If she was completely honest with herself, she'd fallen in love with the man about a year into their arrangement. Time and distance from the war and his role as a double agent had softened the man considerably, particularly in his time spent with her. He'd always be an acerbic, sarcastic, and bitter man after all he'd been through, but his biting comments were now directed at the people and situations that deserved them rather than anyone who crossed his path. At times he was almost sweet to Hermione as the months went on and they got to know one another more. Every month he brought Hermione a bottle of her favorite Merlot to enjoy with dinner the first night they spent together. On multiple occasions, he'd cooked her favorite meal or ordered takeaway from her favorite restaurants. He'd made a note of her academic interests outside of work and made it a point to set aside tomes from his personal library he thought might interest her.

As if her intellectual compatibility with the man wasn't already enough, the sex was absolutely incredible. Sure, it had started off awkwardly as anyone would expect given the bizarre circumstances surrounding their forced copulation, but they'd quickly gotten to know each-others' bodies and their genuine motivation to make the experience as pleasurable as possible inspired mutual desires to learn what their partner craved in bed.

Hermione thought back to a week prior when Severus had last visited for their monthly rendezvous where he'd left her breathless and quivering in pleasure at the end of their coupling. She'd curled up against him, listening to his breathing even out as he'd fallen asleep with her in his arms. She recalled wishing he'd return her feelings and they could spend the remainder of their days together without worrying about the law. Although she was thankful the M.A.R.R.I.A.G.E. Act had given her a semblance of meaningful relationship for one week a month, she resented that their vehement hatred of its terms prevented their relationship from progressing past the superficial closeness they'd developed over the last couple years.

Hermione momentarily panicked as she considered Kingsley's question.

_Could I have subconsciously forced the bond to seal? Have my feelings for Severus and my wish for more in our relationship led to the bond sealing itself somehow?_

Turing back to Kingsley, Hermione asked, "Would the Office of Magical Censuses have a record of the magical signature that would have led to the sealing of the bond? Would they be able to explain what triggered the full enforcement of the law's provisions?"

"I'm not certain, Hermione," he replied, "but given the amount of data that office analyzes to ensure compliance with the Act and confirm magical birthrates are improving as a result, I have to assume that would be included with their records. It certainly doesn't hurt to access your file and see. Typically they wouldn't allow a witch or wizard to view their own records, but I'll see if I can use my authority to make an exception. "

Hermione nodded worriedly, considering how Severus would react if she had indeed triggered the sealing of their bond through what she was sure he'd view as a juvenile and superficial attachment to him. She almost hoped the records would reveal a clerical error—he wouldn't be able to blame her for being chained to an 'insufferable know-it-all' for the rest of his life. Maybe (she hoped) he'd be willing to make the best of a bad situation, and one day he _would _grow to love her in return. Of course, she never expected him to feel as strongly for her as he had for Lily, but maybe he'd feel enough for her that they could build a relatively happy life together in spite of the circumstances that led them there.

She thanked Kingsley for his help and he assured her he would let her know once he was able to obtain her file from the Censuses Office. As Hermione walked back to her office she was suddenly struck by another implication of the sealed bond.

_The law is going to force us to conceive now that we're bonded. _

Her new bond to Severus meant she was unsuccessful in avoiding her worst fear when the law was enacted: She was going to have a child with a man who didn't love her and would in all likelihood resent their baby. Tears welled in her eyes and she turned into the nearest restroom, slamming the door to the stall closed. Her breathing became more erratic as she spiraled further into a state of panic. She turned and vomited into the toilet, sobbing as she came to terms with the reality she was now facing.

She forced herself to slow her breathing and wiped her eyes and mouth with a tissue from her bag before emerging and checking herself over in the mirror. Her eyes were a bit puffy and bloodshot, but she concealed her strained appearance quickly with a glamour spell and continued on her path back to her office.

As she walked she became more determined to make the most of her situation. _Severus won't want to suffer any more than necessary at the hands of this law. We already enjoy the time we spend together, even if we haven't sought additonal contact outside of our scheduled times. I wonder if he would be open to an attempted relationship? Somehow, the two of us will figure out a way to make this work. _With her head held high, she proceeded through the rows of desks back to her corner office which she'd earned as the head of research for the DMLE. She sat down at her desk, took out a quill, and penned a short missive.

**Severus,**

**I presume by now you've received notification of the sealed bond from the Ministry. I met with Kingsley this morning and he assured me we will get to the bottom of how this occurred. In the interim, I think we should meet to discuss the implications of this new development. Would you be amenable to having dinner one evening this week? **

She paused here wondering how she should sign the letter. She certainly couldn't sign 'Love, Hermione.' He wouldn't appreciate her blunt Gryffindor tendencies, especially considering he didn't seem to be vaguely aware of her feelings for him. But 'Sincerely' felt too distant and detached, especially for someone with whom she now shared a marriage bond. She considered signing 'With Anticipation' to convey she was looking forward to the meeting, but reconsidered as perhaps he'd interpret this as nervousness or dread.

Finally she decided to simply sign the letter **'Yours, Hermione.' ** She was technically his bond mate now after all, but she hoped this closing would convey her optimism that they would find a way to find happiness in a life shared despite the circumstances. She tied the letter to one of the department's owls and leaned back in her chair as she watched it fly out the window toward the recipient.

_And now I guess I wait to see how he'll react…_


	3. Chapter 3

Severus stared at the second unsettling letter he'd received that morning as he finished his tea and considered Hermione's request. On the one hand, he was pleased at the prospect of seeing the young woman outside of the usual monthly meetings. On the other, he couldn't imagine anything good coming of it. It was hard to tell from her letter just how angry she was about the newly minted bond and how disappointed she would be that it was he to whom she was now tied for life.

If he hadn't been so concerned with her reaction to the news, Severus might have been pleased about the bond. Truth be told, he rather thought himself in love with the young witch. He couldn't imagine someone who would be a better fit for him as a partner. Not only had she grown into a beautiful woman by anyone's standards, she was the most intelligent woman he'd ever met and she was exceedingly kind and loyal.

He recalled this past January when she'd surprised him with a first edition of a rare 17th century potions manuscript for his birthday, which happened to fall during their scheduled time together. He vaguely remembered mentioning offhand that he'd had trouble locating a copy after the Malfoy's family library had been disassembled and sold to the highest bidder to pay off their war fines. Severus, of course, had purchased as many of the tomes as he possibly could, but unfortunately another buyer had beat him to this particular book

After opening it, Severus had stared across the table at Hermione in awe, wondering both how she'd remembered the title of the book he'd mentioned in passing and how she'd managed to obtain a copy. She simply smirked at him over her roast (which she'd prepared in celebration of his birthday knowing it was his favorite meal) and took a sip of her Merlot. It had taken all of his composure to not bend her over the table and whisper his feelings for her in her ear as he drove into her.

Luckily his occlumency shields held as further into their meal he watched her savor another bite of the marvelous cherry pie she'd served to celebrate the occasion—another surprise as he'd mentioned the previous year that he hated cake after she'd offered to share the treat Mrs. Weasley had sent home with her the previous year after her birthday celebration with their family. How she found out that he was partial to the cherry pies at Hogwarts he would never know; though Minerva had seemed rather tickled in spite of her insistence she knew nothing about it when he'd asked.

The M.A.R.R.I.A.G.E. Act had simultaneously gifted him a connection to the delightful woman and destroyed any chance at having a real, meaningful relationship with her due to their shared anger about its archaic terms. He imagined if the law never existed, he could have courted her properly, and perhaps have even proposed marriage and started a family on their own terms-but then again, he likely would have remained in his self-imposed exile had the law not forced him out of hiding. Now he couldn't imagine his life without her in it, even if that meant carefully shrouding his regard for her to preserve the tenuous relationship they were currently maintaining.

He considered her letter again, wondering how he should handle their current predicament. There was nothing either of them could do now to change the bond, and he hoped Hermione would wish to make pumpkin juice out of pumpkins as it were and be open to giving a genuine relationship a try. Maybe he could propose a proper courtship and spend more time with her outside the week a month he was currently privy to her company. Surely if they were going to fully comply with this farce of a law, she would want more than the artificial connection they'd sustained since the act was signed, even if it meant an awkward transition as they moved from a purely sexual connection to something deeper—especially when children entered the picture.

Children…

Severus hadn't fully considered that implication of the fully-fledged bond up until this moment when he realized that Hermione was officially to become the mother of his children (unless by some miracle the law was repealed and the procreation clause nullified before they conceived). Did he even want children? Was he capable of being a good father? Severus thought back to his years teaching at Hogwarts, recalling how much he despised many of the dunderheads he taught. There were, however, a select few students he genuinely enjoyed teaching—particularly those who were intelligent and dedicated to their studies.

Surely any child of his and Hermione's would beacademically driven. Even if they weren't, Severus wasn't sure it mattered; he was determined to be a good father and love his children thoroughly, even if he loathed the manner in which their conception was forced. He pictured in his mind's eye a little girl with dark, riotous curls, nearly-black eyes, and Hermione's button nose, sitting excitedly next to him as he taught her to brew. He imagined a boy with cupid's-bow lips, brown, lank hair, and a promenant nose curled up against him as he read from one of the many tomes in his library. His lips quirked up at the thought and he only hoped Hermione wouldn't be appalled at the idea. He instinctively knew she'd fear this development would mean the end of her career, but he wouldn't allow it. He'd cultivated a thriving mail-order potions business since his return to society, and he could easily stay home and care for their children while she continued to pursue his career.

But he was getting ahead of himself—the first step was to respond to Hermione's letter and decide how he would broach the subject of a courtship during their dinner. Should he admit to her his true feelings? He picked up a quill and penned his response.

**Hermione,**

**I agree it would be best if we meet to discuss this latest development. I'm currently working on a particularly sensitive brew that requires frequent attention, but if you would be willing to meet me tomorrow evening at my home, I can provide dinner and we can discuss any necessary changes to our arrangement. **

He considered momentarily how he should sign his response. As he penned the letter, he'd decided he would reveal some of his feelings for Hermione when they met—if they were to successfully proceed as a married couple, honesty was the best policy. But his Slytherin nature compelled him to hold some of his feelings back until he was sure he could be trusted with the depth of his regard for her. He ultimately decided upon, **"Until Tomorrow, Severus" **hoping it conveyed some anticipatory excitement rather than dread. Until tomorrow…he could only hope this time he'd bestowed his affection on someone who wouldn't flee at the first sign of tension in their relationship. He would hope…

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A/N: It may seem now like this might fall together a little too easily-but I assure you, things are not as simple as they appear. Thanks for all the reviews and follows!


	4. Chapter 4

Hermione's stomach churned anxiously as she stood outside Severus's home. She ran her hand over her magically smoothed locks in an attempt to confirm she wasn't disheveled after apparating to Severus's home. She'd dressed casually, but considered her choice of attire carefully before deciding on a pair of black skinny jeans and an off-the-shoulder blouse with a pair of low-heeled boots. She wanted to look 'effortlessly sexy' as Ginny referred to it when she'd asked her friend for advice.

Standing on the stoop she considered just how much was riding on their meeting that evening. As family life was essentially being forced upon them by the ministry, she hoped they would both be willing to work on building a relationship and life together in anticipation of such an event occurring. She couldn't imagine Severus being thrilled at the prospect, but she knew him to be an honorable and loyal man and felt certain he would make an honest effort to be a good partner and father. She wondered, however, whether he would ever feel more for her than friendship.

The thought gave her pause as she stepped up to the door. She breathed deeply and steeled herself to knock when suddenly the door opened. Severus stood before her in a pair of grey slacks and a navy, collared shirt with the top button undone and the sleeves rolled to just below the elbow. His hair, which he'd kept long these years, was tied at the nape of his neck with a few strands escaping to frame his face. Hermione was a bit breathless as she considered the man before her and bit her lip nervously while clutching the small bag of Honeydukes dark chocolate she'd brought for dessert to her chest. She'd jumped slightly when he opened the door, having been startled by its sudden opening.

"I'm sorry for startling you, Hermione." Severus uttered. "I heard a noise on the stoop and while I suspected it was you thought it prudent to check it wasn't unwanted company." He stepped aside and opened the door wider and Hermione strode inside, setting the chocolates on the small table next to the sofa in the living area and turning back to see Severus glance outside once more before closing the door.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with me, Severus." Hermione stated, somewhat awkwardly as she felt unsure how to start the impending discussion. "I know you're a busy man and I apologize for adding another…" she paused unsure of how to refer to their bond in this context, "…obligation to your plate…" she finished. She bit her lip again and looked at the toes of her boots, not wanting to meet his eyes; afraid she would see frustration or disappointment at the need to adjust their current arrangement.

She heard Severus sigh and the sound of his boots on the wood floors of his sitting room approaching cautiously, and then felt his hand under her chin as he encouraged her to look at him. "Hermione," he said, "We may as well come right to the point of our meeting tonight to prevent any more discomfort than is strictly necessary. I know the circumstances that led to our bonding were not ideal, but please know that I don't consider this an obligation."

Hermione searched his face, attempting to discern from his guarded expression whether or not he was being genuine as he sighed and then continued, "I feel given the circumstances I must reveal my hand. Over the past two years I've come to care for you Hermione, more than I ever thought possible after my experiences during the war, and it is my sincerest hope that with time we can develop our relationship to be a true reflection of the bond we now share."

Hermione couldn't believe what she was hearing. She shifted slowly and sat carefully on the sofa, folding her hands in her lap and pinching the inside or her wrist. Severus regarded her with curiosity as she looked up at him with misty eyes. "I'm having a hard time believing this isn't a dream," she told him breathily. "Severus, I've grown to care for you too and I share your hope that our connection will someday be worthy of the bond that has been forced upon us. Do you really think we can make this work?" she questioned hesitantly.

In response, Severus moved to sit beside her on the couch and took her hands in his. "I truly do Hermione," and then he sweetly tucked a loose curl behind her ear and gently kissed her. Until that moment, the physical contact between them had been largely unromantic—they both enjoyed it immensely but neither had initiated anything that could have been considered tender during those interactions. This kiss was sweet, affectionate, and conveyed Severus's honest desire for more in their relationship.

As he kissed her, Hermione's heart swelled. This wonderful man she'd spent the last two years befriending during their monthly interludes returned her feelings. She felt as though nothing could derail her happiness as she slid her hands up Severus's chest and deepened the kiss. He responded enthusiastically, and as things grew more heated he encouraged Hermione to wrap her legs around him and he stood swiftly and carried her to the bedroom. Their dinner plans were forgotten, and they spent the remainder of the evening celebrating their shared desire to formally consummate their bond.

As the sun rose the following morning, Hermione woke before Severus, carefully slid out of bed so as not to wake him, and carefully made her way to the kitchen. Her intentions to make breakfast for the pair of them were suddenly interrupted by a tapping on the window by a small, grey ministry owl holding an envelope on which appeared to be Kingsley's handwriting. Hermione took the parcel from the owl and handed him a bit of the bacon she'd unwrapped as thanks before it flew off. She opened the envelope and found enclosed a folder and a letter from Kingsley.

**Hermione,**

**Please find enclosed the records you requested from the Office of Magical Censuses. I had hoped to summarize the findings for you, but it seems they have magically charmed your file so only you are able to read it. It seems if you have any further questions, you will need to reach out to the head of that office with additional inquires. I hope the information contained sufficiently explains your sudden bonding as that office has been backlogged with inquires since the inception of the M.A.R.R.I.A.G.E. Act.**

**Kingsley**

Hermione opened the file tentatively. Although she was happy with the way her conversation with Severus had gone the night before, she was still curious how the bond had been sealed. Looking through the pages in the file, she found the document she was looking for. Two-thirds of the way down the page on the document titled Magical Binding Record, Hermione

Manner of Sealing: Conception

Hermione slammed the folder closed and ran to the sink, vomiting spectacularly as she tried to process what she'd read. For the second time that week, she thought there surely The Office of Magical Cencuses must have made a terrible mistake as she'd been diligently taking her contraceptive potion. Severus, having heard the commotion, strode into the kitchen, face contorted with concern as he witnessed Hermione wiping her mouth on her sleeve. Before he could say anything, she looked at him warily, shook her head as if to say 'not now' and walked purposefully toward the Floo. Until she confirmed whether the document was accurate, she wouldn't—no couldn't—speak to Severus. Telling Severus would only confirm what she dreaded, and until she knew for certain she was indeed pregnant, a visit to St. Mungo's was the first order of business.

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A/N: Thanks again for some nice reviews after the last chapter! To respond to a couple of things that were shared-this is REALLY my first story, but I'm an avid reader and I've also been reading fanfiction for years-I've also spent a lot of time writing academically throughout my undergraduate degree and my masters! I'm definitely not immune to errors so any constructive feedback is incredibly helpful as I get used to writing in an entirely different style!

I mentioned in my last chapter that everything wasn't as simple as it seems and the end of this chapter is me starting to unravel that particular thread. As much as I wish everything in life were easy, my own life and relationships have taught me that often it's not that simple, and while my intent is for everything to work out for our favorite couple in the end, there will be some bumps in the road to get there.

My goal is to post another 2-3 chapters over the course of the next week, but I've been recently promoted and I'm moving into my new role next week so things might get a bit hectic during the transition. Thanks for taking the time to read! I hope you're enjoying this story so far and I truly appreciate the follows/faves/reviews so keep them coming!


	5. Chapter 5

Severus was thoroughly confused as he watched Hermione leave through the floo that morning. He thought everything had gone just about perfectly the night before and he originally awoke happily remembering their mutual feelings on the situation.

He'd been unspeakably nervous to share his feelings with her, but as soon as she voiced her assumption that she'd think her an obligation, he couldn't wait any longer to share what he'd been thinking. The witch was as far from an obligation as he could possibly imagine, and after their discussion he'd been feeling nothing short of bliss at the prospect of spending even more time with her. He hadn't revealed the full extent of his feelings for Hermione—he wouldn't risk another public heartbreak until he was sure she returned his feelings—but she at least knew he cared for her and wanted more than the superficial contact they'd previously shared.

Of course his happiness was interrupted by the sound of Hermione retching in the kitchen earlier that morning and then leaving without explanation. Had she changed her mind? After spending the night with him had she decided she didn't truly want to foster something more meaningful with 'the greasy git' as her friends referred to him while they were in school? Had she considered the implications more carefully during the night and decided she couldn't move forward as discussed?

Severus poured himself a cup of coffee and sat at the small table that adorned the space near the small window in the corner of his kitchen. He ran his fingers through his hair as he considered how to respond to Hermione's abrupt departure. His initial reaction, naturally, was anger—why would she respond so enthusiastically to his admission the previous evening if her feelings were so flighty? However, as he considered the situation more, he came to the conclusion that he knew wholeheartedly that Hermione wasn't the type of person who would do such a thing. He knew from experience both as her teacher and her pseudo-partner over the years that she'd never once shared an opinion without being decidedly sure of herself—her stubbornness once her mind was made up was one of the qualities in the younger woman that Severus both found amusing and grating at times. He tempered his ire, determined not to make the same mistakes he had with Lily that ultimately pushed her away.

Sighing, Severus acknowledged that something must have happened to make Hermione react so strongly, and he could only wonder what had happened to make her want to leave without explaining why. As he contemplated how he should respond to the incident, he was at a loss regarding how he should approach her. He didn't want to upset her more or push her further away, but he wanted to understand what could have happened to make her react so violently.

As he considered how he might attempt to reach her, he noticed on the counter near the windowsill a piece of parchment. He crossed the kitchen, hesitantly lifting the rolled letter from its resting place in his kitchen and carried it back to the table where he set it neatly beside his coffee.

_Should I read it? _He thought to himself as he realized the letter could hold the answer regarding why Hermione felt the need to leave so suddenly. _Perhaps it has nothing to do with me after all. Maybe something happened to one of her friends she wasn't at liberty to discuss, hence her silence as he left. _

He felt a bit uneasy at the thought of betraying her trust by reading the letter, but ultimately curiosity got the better of him and he unrolled the parchment and realized it was a letter from Kingsley, apparently accompanying her records from The Office of Magical Censuses. He looked around the kitchen to see if she'd left the folder behind before remembering she'd been carrying something in one arm as she left earlier that morning.

_Something in those records clearly set her off this morning, but what could it have been. Did she learn perhaps how our bond came to be sealed?_

The more Severus considered it, the more he was convinced she must have located that information in the records as based on Kingsley's letter, this had been the purpose in retrieving them. He was still stymied, however, by her reaction. He considered whether anything he learned about their bonding would impact his feelings for the witch and came up empty-handed. Perhaps, however, something she'd read had her worried he would change his mind.

He thought carefully for several minutes about whether he should contact Hermione—doing so would reveal that he'd read her letter from Kingsley, but he didn't want her to unnecessarily worry that something in the report would change his impression of her and their bond.

He decided he would write to her—after all, the letter had been left in the open on his counter, she couldn't be too annoyed at him for 'mistakenly' reading it after she'd left it in his home. He walked into his sitting room and sat at the small writing desk against the wall near the entry. The piece had been an antique from Malfoy Manor which he'd acquired in their estate auction and placed here precisely for correspondence unrelated to his business (for which he had a much larger desk in his study adjacent to his lab). It had been his godson Draco's, and he intended to give it back to him one day once he'd reestablished himself in the wizarding world now that some of society was willing to start trusting the family again. He took a piece of parchment from a drawer and penned a letter to Hermione, stopping frequently to consider how he wanted to approach the situation.

**Hermione,**

**You left so abruptly this morning, I didn't have the opportunity to convey to you how much I relished our time together last night. I hope your sudden departure this morning isn't a reflection of a change of heart. **

**I came across the letter Kingsley sent on my counter after you'd left—I apologize for reading it, but I wasn't sure initially for which of us it was intended. I gather there must have been something in the records you obtained that triggered your reaction, and I want you to feel assured I will give you the time and space you need to process whatever information you encountered. But I need you to know that whatever you found in that file won't change my regard for you. As outraged as I am at the Ministry for forcing our hands, I cannot regret the outcome. I am here when you are ready to talk.**

**Yours,**

**Severus **

As he watched his owl fly off with the letter, Severus hoped it wouldn't take Hermione long to seek him out. Regardless of what her file revealed and her reaction this morning, Severus looked forward to seeing the young witch again and hoped she was as eager to see him and share what she'd learned. Until he heard from her, he resolved to be patient and distract himself by throwing himself more thoroughly into his work. With one last longing look at his owl before it disappeared from sight, Severus crossed to the stairs leading to his basement lab, intent on spending his time brewing until she replied.

* * *

A/N: The next chapter we will be back with Hermione to move the story forward, but I wanted to pause slightly to see Severus's reaction to her departure. What do you all think? Would he truely be unaffected by what Hermione's learned? You'll find out soon enough!

I'm hoping to have this story fully published before I take a week-long trip to Colorado to go rock-climbing with a young cancer-survivors program in a few weeks (I'd hate to fall off the side of a mountain and leave you all hanging! Haha!)

Thanks again for taking the time to read and review! I'm having a blast writing this so far, and I hope you're enjoying reading it! As always, feedback is appreciated!


	6. Chapter 6

After leaving Severus's place, Hermione went home first to change clothes and freshen up, and then immediately owled Hannah Abbott at St. Mungo's to see if there was a time she could stop by her office that day. She couldn't simply walk in and ask for a pregnancy test—The Daily Prophet would have a field day if that news leaked, and she couldn't risk the media finding out before Severus. No—she needed to keep this as quiet as possible until she knew for certain it was true and if so had shared the news with Severus. Hannah and Hermione had become dear friends when Hannah had started dating Neville a few months after the end of the war.

In a stroke of luck, the M.A.R.R. I.A.G.E. Act had paired the couple together, and they didn't hesitate to comply with the terms as Neville had planned to ask for Hannah's hand that Christmas anyways. Hannah had been a sympathetic ear over the last two years as Hermione became more and more conflicted with her simultaneous hatred of the Act's terms and her feelings for Severus that had blossomed as a part of their compliance with those terms. She knew she could trust her friend to discreetly run the necessary diagnostics and carefully guard the results until the moment Hermione chose to reveal them.

She paced her flat for 20 minutes in nervous anticipation of Hannah's response before she decided to take matters into her own hands and embark on the 10 minute walk to the corner-market and purchase a muggle pregnancy test. Although she knew her magic could lead to a false-positive result, she hoped it would be negative and she could move on and investigate how The Office of Magical Censuses could make such a critical error.

Upon her return, she noticed Severus's owl waiting for her. She took the letter it was carrying and set it down on the coffee table as she passed through her sitting room on her way to the bathroom to take the muggle test. She wouldn't read his letter until she knew definitively whether or not she was pregnant. She was sure he'd be angry at her for walking out like that, and she only hoped he would understand once she told him what had happened. She needed to be emotionally prepared for that conversation before she could engage him because if she was indeed pregnant, there was no telling how he would react to that news.

The M.A.R.R.I.A.G.E. Act only stipulated one child be produced from each union, although Hermione was sure the Ministry hoped each couple would 'Exceed Expectations.' The law's copulation and birth control components, however, were nullified after a witch had given birth to their first child, so although Severus would be bonded with Hermione for life, he could ultimately decide he'd want no further part in her or her child's life and disappear into solitude again.

She'd promised him there would be no children, and although she could no longer fulfill that promise after the bond was sealed, she'd hoped they'd have more time to get to know one another and come to terms with a future including a child (or children, as Hermione had always been adamant that if she was to have children, she wanted more than one to prevent the solitude she experienced before she went to Hogwarts). They hadn't even broached that development last night—they'd been too wrapped up in their newfound feelings for one another to discuss anything important like impending required procreation.

She placed the stick on the bathroom counter and waited impatiently for the results to develop. Her mind raced as she considered how she might tell Severus the news if the file was accurate. She was devastated to think her happiness was so short lived; that she'd had one solitary night where everything was going right with Severus before reality came in and shattered that illusion. Just as she started to lose her grip on her normally rational thought process, she heard the screech of an owl from the other room. Hoping it was a response from Hannah, she practically ran toward the noise and forgot about the muggle test on her bathroom counter.

**Hermione,**

**I'm free for lunch if you want to stop by around 11:30. Your letter sounded a bit frantic, so I hope everything is ok. Looking forward to seeing you then!**

**Hannah**

Hermione glanced at the clock and realized it was already almost 11:30. She ran back down the hall toward her bedroom to grab her shoes and stopped in the bathroom to brush her hair. It was then that she remembered the muggle test and glanced at where it lay on the counter—POSITIVE. Even more desperate to get to Saint Mungo's and confirm the results, she threw her hair up into a sloppy bun before apparating straight to Hannah's office.

When she arrived, Hannah was sitting at her desk, eating and apple and reviewing some of her patient files. She jumped only slightly at Hermione's crack of arrival and turned to glance at her guest. Hermione noticed her gaze quickly changed from happy to worried as she regarded her friend.

"Hermione, what on earth is the matter?" asked Hannah. "I haven't seen you look this upset since the morning we took our first NEWTS."

"Hannah, there's something I need to tell you…well, something I need you to confirm for me honestly. But I need you to swear you won't breathe a word of this to anyone…even Neville. Ok?" asked Hermione as she nervously twisted one of her curls and looked intently at Hannah.

"Of course, Hermione; I promise you full discretion, not only as your healer, but as your friend. You know you can trust me."

Hermione exhaled slowly, preparing herself to tell Hannah what she'd been dreading since she'd read the words in the file this morning. "Hannah, I need you check to see if I'm pregnant."

Hannah's eyes widened only briefly before she stood and took both of Hermione's hands in her own and replied, "Of course, Hermione…whatever you need. But as your friend I have to ask how did this happen? I thought you and Severus were being so cautious."

"That's just it, we WERE Hannah. I've been taking the potion diligently—I've never missed a dose over the last two years! But we both received letters indicating our bond had been sealed, and when I asked Kingsley for help investigating, my file revealed it was due to conception! I need you to confirm whether or not it's true."

Hannah ushered Hermione through a door and into an exam room that was adjacent to her office. She performed the appropriate diagnostic spells and after a quiet sigh, she turned back to Hermione with the news. "It seems the file is correct Hermione. You are indeed pregnant."

Hermione immediately burst into tears, unable to control her emotions in that moment as Hannah wrapped an arm around her shoulders and rubbed her back soothingly. "I just d-d-don't underst-st-stand!" sobbed Hermione. "I've…we've b-b-been so caref-f-ful. I d-d-don't know wh-wh-what changed."

"Have you taken any other medications or potions lately for anything? Some can counteract the effects of contraceptive potions if you aren't careful in preparing them. Or perhaps the potion you used was ineffective? Could it have been expired or brewed faultily by the apothecary?"

"Imp-p-possible…" stuttered Hermione as she wiped her eyes with the tissue Hannah handed her and started to breathe more evenly. "Severus always brews all my potions including my contraception. The man is a perfectionist—if something was going to interfere with its effectiveness, he would know and alter the ingredients. He's always done so, ever since we started this arrangement."

"I don't know what to tell you Hermione," said Hannah, "but I've never seen a case where a witch falls pregnant if she's been diligent with taking the potion and there isn't the possibility of interference. Maybe the ministry changed the enforcement terms of the law and somehow rendered the potion ineffective magically?"

Hermione considered this—if the terms of the law had been altered, would she have been notified? Furthermore, there had been several other couples who had followed in their footsteps in an attempt to appeal the law; if they were suddenly all bonded and pregnant, surely she would have heard something about it. Furthermore, Kingsley had all but confirmed nothing had changed from a legal perspective.

After Hermione settled down, she hugged Hannah, thanking her for her time and returned to her flat. As she entered, she remembered the letter Severus had sent that morning. Unrolling the parchment, she steeled herself for his fury and her heartbreak at what she assumed would be a terrible reaction to her departure that morning. She had not been prepared for how level-headed and kind he'd sounded, and she started to cry again as relief flowed through her. At least now she'd only have to contend with the shock of her pregnancy without worrying about reassuring him of her affections.

She was laying on her couch, considering how she might broach the subject with him, when a sudden realization occurred to her and she sat back up reaching for the letter to confirm what he'd said.

_**I need you to know that whatever you found in that file won't change my regard for you.**_

_How could he possibly know that unless he anticipated what was happening? He brews your contraceptive potion Hermione—_she said to herself_—what if he knew if would fail? What if he planned for it to fail to ensure the bond would be solidified and he would have a chance with you? _

She gasped suddenly as the implications washed over her. He'd been the first to admit his newfound feelings for her—something she never thought the man capable of after his history with Lily. It suddenly occurred to her how out of character that moment had been for the man. _Would he put his heart on the line like that unless he had some reassurances? _

She didn't want to believe it—the man she thought she had been falling in love with over the past two years wouldn't do that would he? But the more she looked back on their time together the night before in the context of all their other interactions, the more doubts she had.

Severus had never been one to open up about his feelings on anything—unless it was a new potions theory in one of the journals they regularly read together and debated during their monthly rendezvous. The more she considered it, the more his admission the night before seemed too good to be true—would he really suddenly fulfill all the dreams she'd over the last several months and admit that he cared for her? Was that something Severus was even capable of doing? _No…he would never take that risk with his heart again. _

He'd even said as much to her in the past. She recalled one night they sat reading on her sofa; her legs stretched out over his lap as she sighed in response to the romantic tale she was reading. Severus had rolled his eyes and commented that such drivel was completely unrealistic and he would never convey his feelings so bluntly to anyone else again in his life.

"That Slytherin Bastard!" she screamed aloud as she slammed the letter down on the table and dissolved into tears again. After she finally calmed, she strode toward her floo with purpose and hoped Severus' grate was still open from earlier that morning. _He said he'd be there to talk when I was ready…well I've got some talking to do._

* * *

A/N: Two chapters in one day?! And as we're headed into a weekend to boot! Aren't you lucky! Haha just kidding—I happened to have a very slow day at work today leading up to my transition into my new job. I highly doubt there'll be another day like this for a couple weeks, but I'll keep trying to get new chapters up as quickly as possible!

Who thinks severus would really be capable of this kind of manipulation? I absolutely think his character is such that he could, particularly with the rationalization Hermione envisions in this chapter. But would he? The answer is coming soon enough. In the mean time, thanks again so much for reading! I know every single author says something like this, but seeing so many people reading and seemingly enjoying this story is so amazing as I never thought I'd make anything I'd written public!

Once I'm done with this tale, I have a couple other short stories and one more longer fic I could share depending on the response to this one. I know the marriage law trope isn't everyone's cup of tea and nothing else I've written is a marriage law fic. Are you all interested in reading more?


	7. Chapter 7

As Severus was chopping ingredients in preparation of brewing his next order, he felt the wards around his home shift as someone came through the Floo. Very few people were keyed into his wards, so he could only assume it was likely Hermione returning, he hoped to apologize and explain her reason for storming out.

He wasn't prepared for Hermione storming into his lab, clearly irate as she exclaimed, "Severus Snape, I'm only going to ask this question once and I expect you to be completely honest with me in your response."

Thoroughly confused, Severus simply raised an eyebrow and gestured for her to continue. Hermione questioned, "Have you or have you not in any way altered my contraceptive potion in recent months?"

He looked back at her confusedly and considered he question. He thought back over the last several months and couldn't think of any alterations he'd made to the potion, but he was deeply concerned with where this line of questioning was headed. He desperately hoped he was wrong, but he had a terrible feeling he now understood how the bond was sealed, but was determined to have Hermione confirm it. Hermione," he started in a deep tone imbued with suspicion, "what has happened that makes you question the composition of your contraceptive potion?"

"I'm pregnant!" she practically yelled before bursting into tears. "K-k-kingsley sent me my file fr-fr-from the Office of Magical Censuses and it indicated the reason the b-b-bond was sealed was c-c-conception."

Severus stared at her wide eyed as he processed what she'd said. While it was exactly what he feared, he was still overcome by shock that she was actually going to have his child. But how could that be possible—he'd been brewing her contraceptive potion for the last two years and carefully ensure it would never be affected by any other potions she needed. Unless she missed a dose…

After several deep breaths, Hermione continued as if she knew what he was wondering, "I've never missed a dose of my contraceptive potion so I assumed the records had it wrong somehow; but I just came from St. Mungo's where Hannah Abbot Confirmed the paperwork is accurate." She sighed and stated determinedly, "The only logical conclusion is that my contraceptive potion was altered in a way that made it ineffective and since you've always brewed the potion…"

"Are you implying I altered your potion to intentionally impregnate you? How do I know you aren't lying and intentionally skipped a dose!" Severus interrupted his growing fury visible on his face.

"I don't know Severus! Do you honestly think I'd be this upset if I knew there was a possibility I'd caused it through carelessness!" she shouted, "You tell me how this could have happened!"

The stood their staring at each other furiously for what seemed like an eternity until finally Hermione seemed to calm slightly, but she stubbornly continued, "I want to believe the best of you Severus—I honestly do—but knowing how meticulous you are when it comes to your brews, it's hard for me to believe the potion could have been altered without your knowledge. I don't know what to think…" she faded off as tears started streaming down her face again.

Her accusation was almost too much for Severus. He turned away from her and crossed to the opposite corner of the lab as he attempted to process what he was hearing while glared at the wall of ingredients he was now facing. He wanted to rage at her, tell her to leave and never return—how could she believe he would take that choice away from her? How could her trust in him be so fragile and fleeting?

He fought against the desire to use legilimency against her to see what she really thought of him. He was ultimately unsuccessful—to his mind, if she could accuse him of tricking her into a pregnancy, he was certainly justified in finding out exactly what she was thinking.

He turned to face her and slipped into her mind quietly and unnoticed as he continued to glare at her in ire and suddenly softened at what he found. _FEAR: _Fear about whether she was prepared to have a child; Fear at whether she'd make a suitable mother; Fear that if she was wrong and Severus hadn't altered the potion, he would resent her for this pregnancy and disappear again leaving her child fatherless.

He was still upset that she could believe such a thing of him, but acknowledged that it wasn't coming wholly from a place of distrust but rather primarily the fears he'd seen so plainly in his mind. Still, he certainly intended to make it known to the witch how wrong she was in her accusation and how much it had hurt him.

"Hermione," he started coldly, "It is my turn to insist that I will only express this once, but I have _NEVER_ knowingly altered your contraceptive potion in any manner that would result in a pregnancy. I do not know how this could have happened, and I certainly intend to find out, but that you would accuse me of stealing your choice in that decision away from you for any reason is completely disgraceful. I find myself struggling to see how to move forward if you cannot trust that I wouldn't intentionally alter our arrangement without your consent."

Hermione hung her head as she processed what he was saying for several minutes as she continued to wipe tears from her eyes. Finally she uttered ashamedly, "You're right, I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions without talking with you first—when I couldn't come up with another logical explanation, I latched onto the only thing that made sense in my anger and that isn't fair to you. If this irreparably alters the feelings you declared for me last night, I understand—but please know Severus, I am truly sorry."

Still reading her thoughts, Severus could see that her apology was sincere. Sighing he turned away from Hermione again, debating himself on how he wanted to handle the situation. He was furious with himself that he'd allowed himself to fall for another woman who would imagine the worst of him the moment things went awry. However, he reasoned, she was different from Lily in one key aspect: Hermione was willing to acknowledge she was wrong and seemed genuinely remorseful for her errant assumptions.

Severus had years ago acknowledged that he and Lily were both young and immature when they made the decisions that led to their falling out, and he had long since forgiven her for what he perceived as a lack of understanding about his reaction to her stepping in as he was being bullied by James Potter. But he also didn't want to do to Hermione what Lily had done to him and refuse to forgive her for a knee-jerk reaction during what he assumed was likely one of the most challenging moments of her life.

She was also to be the mother of his child, and regardless of how he felt right now, he wanted to do everything in his power to prevent that innocent life from experiencing the childhood he'd faced in a house teeming with constant conflict. He sighed as he turned back to Hermione, resigning to give them a chance while carefully guarding his heart until he could feel certain she wouldn't make such assumptions of him in the future.

"Hermione," he started cautiously, "If we are to raise a child together, we have to be able to trust one another and not assume the worst when faced with conflict. I'm willing to try to move past this, but I need time and assurance that we are able to trust each other first and foremost. There are always going to be those who seek to tear us apart because of who we are, and I won't spend my life defending myself to the person I'm attempting to build a life with. If you don't think you're capable of trusting me…"

"I am Severus…"interrupted Hermione breathily. "…and I shouldn't have doubted you in the first place. I understand you needing time and I won't push you to give anything of yourself emotionally until you're ready. But what are we to do now? How can we determine what caused the potion to fail? And there's the fact we're going to be parents to consider…"

_Parents._ Although unplanned, Severus was amazed to find he was happy about the idea of being a father, especially given his feelings for the mother of their child. Of course he was afraid too—afraid that he would follow in the footsteps of his father, afraid that he and Hermione would never learn to trust one another, afraid that she would never love him the way he did her and eventually leave with their child…

He shook his head—he wouldn't allow it to happen. He was determined to do everything in his power to ensure their home was precisely the opposite of the environment he'd grown up in, starting with courting his witch properly with the hope her feelings for him would grow to match his own before their child arrived.

"Hermione, I know this is sudden, but I think we should consider moving into the same home together—you could of course maintain your own bedroom if you'd feel more comfortable, but the more we get used to living together and each other's habits and patterns, the easier it will be when the child arrives. I would offer to move into your flat with you, but unfortunately it doesn't have the requisite space for a laboratory which I need to conduct my business. Of course I would be open to considering any alterations or additions that would make you feel at ease…" he paused her considering how to continue and decided to simply ask, "Hermione, would you do me the honor of moving into my home with me?"

Hermione stared at him momentarily with a stunned expression on her face before she responded, "If you're sure you're ready for that step, yes Severus, I would love to move in with you. But that still doesn't answer the question of how this happened in the first place."

Severus quickly assessed a variety of different possibilities for what might have occurred that led to the ineffectiveness of the potion, but nothing immediately stood out. "I will start by testing my other stores of the potion to see if any other contraceptives were affected and widen the search options from there should they appear to be unaffected. We will get to the bottom of this, Hermione, but I don't want you to allow it to overly stress you." He crossed the lab until he was standing right in front of her and gently took her hand as he said, "You're carrying my child witch, and if I can do anything to help it you will be as relaxed and healthy as possible until the time he or she is born."

Hermione looked up at him, her eyes still misty with tears before she launched herself into his arms and Severus stroked her back soothingly. He was determined to find out who or what had thwarted Hermione's plan, but for now would enjoy the closeness between the two of them and would do everything in his power to ensure the health and safety of the witch in his embrace and the child she was carrying.

* * *

A/N: I'm so glad so many people seem to be enjoying this story so far! Of course Severus didn't intentionally trap Hermione, although I feel there are certainly points during his life where he was capable of doing something like this—but I think that's what makes Severus such an interesting character: knowing he's capable of some truly heinous behavior yet knowing he wouldn't because of the maturity he's developed as he's gotten older.

I think back to some of my earliest relationships and some very questionable and hurtful decisions I made due to immaturity, but just because I've grown up enough to know those things would be counterproductive in a healthy relationship doesn't mean I wasn't obviously capable of them before I grew up a bit.

Keep reading and reviewing! I love hearing your thoughts!


	8. Chapter 8

A week later, Hermione found herself seated on the floor in her flat, carefully packing her books into boxes in preparation to move in with Severus. A large portion of her belongings had already been packed and moved to his home, but her books required an expansion to Severus's library to make room for all the volumes she would be bringing into his…no, their home.

Hermione was slowly adjusting to the idea that they would be living together—she hadn't lived with anyone since she graduated from Hogwarts after the conclusion of the war, and she knew Severus had been living on his own longer than her. She'd picked up during their times together that they maintained similar habits and routines, so she optimistically hoped they would adjust rather quickly—they didn't have much time to become accustomed to the arrangement before they'd go through the life-altering experience of bringing a baby into the picture.

She paused as she considered how surreal this entire experience was. She had been back to St. Mungo's for a more thorough exam by Hannah where she confirmed she was approximately 6 weeks along. Hermione hadn't yet experienced any morning sickness, and it was so early-on there was no visible proof she was expecting, so she was struggling to believe any of it was real. There were many mornings she'd wake hoping it had all been a dream and her life would continue as she'd planned.

She was, however, happy that the bond had led the pair of them to admit their feelings for one another. Although things certainly hadn't transpired as Hermione would have ever envisioned, she couldn't say whether they ever would have opened up about their mutual—love? Perhaps not on Severus's part, but Hermione hoped one day Severus might feel as deeply for her as she did for him, especially for the sake of their child.

There still hadn't been much progress in determining what had caused their contraceptive potion to fail in the first place. Hermione had scoured the Ministry regulations over the past week to see if there had been any policy changes that would nullify any pregnancy prevention measures. So far she'd come up empty-handed as there were very few enforcement measures that had changed since the law was implemented, and none of them applied to the contraception clause.

Severus had been similarly unsuccessful thus far as he'd tested the efficacy of the other prepared potions in his stores that were intended for delivery to other clients and found all of the other potions to be appropriately potent. He'd moved on to testing each of the ingredients that were altered in Hermione's particular brew to counteract any interactions with the other potions she consistently took for nerve pain in her arm related to the cursed blade Bellatrix had used on her during the war. So far, he'd analyzed about half of the substitutions, but found no issues. His progress was slowed by incoming orders, but there had been a lull within the last two days and she hoped he might have time to analyze more ingredients.

Just as she was considering what he might accomplish that day, her floo roared to life and Severus came through holding a jar and gesturing wildly."It was the Valerian root!" he sneered as he slammed the jar on the table and turned to face Hermione."I substituted it for the wormwood as you would have been exposed to excessive levels with your continued need for nerve suppression potions. It reacted as expected when I added it to your contraceptive potion so I had no reason to suspect it had been tampered with."

Hermione considered what he was saying and questioned, "You think someone tampered with your stores? Who would have access to your lab?"

"I'm not sure if it was altered before I obtained it or after it arrived in my lab," Severus explained."Its appearance is consistent with a pure sample of the ingredient, so it could have arrived in an altered state; only people who could get through the wards are the delivery-men for the supply company, you, and myself."

Hermione sighed."That doesn't exactly narrow the possible explanations for how or when the tampering occurred," she uttered, sounding defeated.

"That's not exactly true," replied Severus."There are only 3 primary harvesters from which the supply company I use sources the ingredient. I've already alerted the supplier to the issue and I would assume they will conduct an exhaustive review the results—I fully intend to review the findings of any investigation for myself. I'm not losing hope...we will find out exactly how the supply was altered."

"Is it possible any of your other clients were impacted?" Hermione asked, worried that his business could suffer if other customers had received faulty potions. She knew how important his business had become to him since his return to society and hated to think anything would disrupt the happiness he'd found with his career in recent years.

Severus's lips quirked up at her question—he chuckled lowly as he responded, "You might be the only person in the world who would be so severely impacted by an error of this magnitude and are more concerned about my business than yourself." He walked over to her and sat down next to her as he elaborated, "I reviewed my inventory lists from the last 3 months since it was delivered and it doesn't appear I shipped any potions using the ingredient. I find myself simultaneously grateful this happened as it may have spared my reputation by preventing a defective potion from being delivered to anyone else and enraged that you are the only one to suffer, Hermione."

He looked at her intensely and worriedly, as though he thought she might still blame him for failing to notice the ingredient was defective, but she knew if there had been any detectable difference he would have observed it while he was brewing. The man was a perfectionist and she could tell he still blamed himself for what had happened. She gently placed one of her hands on his arm as she replied, "This is not your fault, Severus. I know that if it was possible to detect the flaws in the Valerian, you would have done so and found an alternative solution."

Severus's head dipped slightly as he took in her words of absolution."I'm glad you don't blame me, Hermione, but I'm still sorry this resulted in a pregnancy for which you did not wish or plan. It isn't fair that you are being forced into something so life-altering without even realizing at the time the consequences of our union. I find myself remorseful we hadn't been more diligent in our efforts to prevent this from occurring so you would habe the freedom of making that choice."

Hermione considered Severus's admission. While she continued to be angry at the Ministry for the inception of this ridiculous law, she didn't find herself regretting the pregnancy—she and Severus's compatibility was undeniable at this stage, and in a different world she could certainly see herself having developed similar feelings for the man without the interference of the Marriage Act. She wasn't ready to admit the full extent of her ardor for him, but she couldn't let him continue on not knowing she didn't resent the situation.

She took both of his hands and implored, "Severus…look at me, please…"She waited while he lifted his eyes to meet her gaze, and then continued, "I know if we'd had full control over the situation, things wouldn't have come about in quite the same way or with this timing, but I don't regret this. You know I care deeply for you and even though this whole situation still feels very surreal, I find myself happy at the prospect sharing a home with you and apprehensively excited about this baby. I understand if you don't feel that way yet…"

She was cut off as he leaned forward and kissed her suddenly. She'd obviously said what he wanted to hear as he grasped her hips as he deepened the kiss, and after several long minutes he pulled back and looked at her rather lovingly. Tears glistened in Hermione's eyes, threating to fall as Severus said, "I find myself happy as well. Now let's finish this packing so I can move you into my home permanently, witch."

He smiled at her as he picked up a stack of books and placed them in the nearest box. _We're going to be ok..._Hermione thought to herself, a similar smile affixed to her face as she packed a little more enthusiastically than she had been before. _We're going to get through this._

* * *

A/N: Any theories on how you think the ingredient was tampered?

I started my new role today, so I'm glad I had a chance to get this out! I anticipate maybe 3-4 additional chapters (and possibly an epilogue) to wrap up this story!

Please keep reading and reviewing! Your notes are so motivating! Also sorry for the serious errors the first time I uploaded the chapter...i uploaded part of it from a doc and it removed several words in odd places! Thank you Blue Night Fairy for bringing it to my attention!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: So sorry for the delay in updating! The last few weeks have been crazy with traveling and work, but hopefully I'll be back on a more regular schedule over the next few weeks to wrap up this story! Please keep the reviews coming-any constructive feedback helps!

* * *

Severus awoke to the sound of retching coming from their shared bathroom in his, no… _their_, home. They'd completed the process of moving Hermione into his home a few weeks prior, and the couple had settled into a routine over the past month or so. As much as he was thoroughly enjoying her presence, he was still struggling to wrap his mind around the young witch's desire to not only be romantically involved with him, but also her commitment to bear his child and raise a family with him.

Upon hearing the toilet flush and the faucet start running, he rose from the bed and crept across the room intending to check on her. As he approached the door, it opened suddenly and Hermione jolted, apparently startled by his presence on the other side.

"I'm so sorry to have woken you, Severus," She said quietly as she rubbed the back of her neck, clearly exhausted from her exertions.

"Hermione," he started, "Why did you not tell me you were experiencing morning sickness? You know there are potions that can aid with the symptoms, and you happen to be bonded to potions master who could brew them for you on a moment's notice?" He looked at her with concern as he continued, "How long has this been going on?"

"A couple weeks now," she replied. "I know you could have brewed a morning sickness potion, but until we find out what happened to your stores, I was afraid to risk the potential presence of any other tampered ingredients making their way into the brew." She placed her hand protectively over her stomach. I would be devastated if anything happened to our little one, and I've been through much worse than a little nausea. I can handle the discomfort if it means our baby is safe."

Severus frowned as he considered what she was saying. He'd spent the last month since he'd discovered the defective Valerian Root corresponding back and forth with the supplier who kept reassuring him they'd mounted a full-scale investigation into the incident, but had yet to discover any evidence that explained how the issue might have occurred. He'd also alerted the ministry to the discovery as he had brewed other potions using the ingredient (although it was far less critical in the other potions that were potential affected) and given the potential backlash wanted the auror department involved in the investigation.

As fate would have it, Potter's team was assigned the case, and they had been working with the supplier and Severus to investigate the timeline further to narrow down when the root might have been tampered with. Potter's involvement, however, was somewhat stressful for Hermione and himself as they weren't ready to share the news of her pregnancy at present, but Potter's team had been requesting information on how the tampering of the ingredients had affected those that had consumed the defective potions. So far, Severus had only provided a list of the potions and how the end result was altered along with inventory information to demonstrate the number of potions potentially affected. For now, Potter had accepted this information and moved forward with gathering additional evidence, but at some point, the news would come out that Hermione had been one of those impacted and her present condition was the most obvious piece of evidence supporting the case.

Severus shook his head and cleared his mind of the thoughts surrounding the investigation as he wrapped Hermione up in a warm embrace, placing his hand over hers on the tiniest bump that had developed over the course of the last week.

"Hermione, I love that you're so concerned about the well-being of our child you would be willing to suffer through this, but please let me assure you that I've been testing all the ingredients in my stores, both when they arrive and before adding them to my brews until we get to the bottom of how this mess could have occurred. Please be assured that I would never give you anything unless I was one-hundred percent confident it was safe for both you and our baby."

He looked down at her before continuing, "This whole situation must be hard enough on you without having to feel miserable the entire time. Please love, let me help you?"

He watched her as she looked up at him with tears in her eyes, "Love?" she asked, "Did you mean it?"

Severus honestly hadn't considered what he was saying when he uttered the term of endearment. Of course he'd only meant it as such, but now that she was asking, he felt he could no longer deny his feelings for her. Despite them both going through adjustments as they became accustomed to sharing a space with each other, their time together over the past several weeks had been better than any time Severus had lived alone at any point during his life.

He found himself smiling at Hermione's little quirks like using everything from paperclips to clean handkerchiefs as bookmarks when her eyes started to droop as she read in the library. He found it amusing that she favored fuzzy socks with all manner of flamboyant patterns to slippers when they sat curled up on the sofa in front of the fire at the end of the day. Even her atrocious attempts at cooking for him were endearing as it was the first time in his live Severus felt cared for.

_Yes, I do love her. I had not wished to tell her this way, but…_

Just as Severus opened his mouth to respond, a handsome, grey owl landed gracefully on the windowsill, and tied to its leg was letter sealed with the auror department's emblem. Severus gently squeezed Hermione's hand and opened the window to allow the messenger entrance. Hermione carefully untied the missive as Severus fed the owl a treat and flew off, clearly not asked to wait for a reply.

Severus opened the letter and began to read:

**Severus**

**I've obtained some evidence from one of my informants that one of the delivery-men from the ingredient's supplier has some connections to the old crowd of death eaters. We've yet to confirm he's the guilty party, but to aid in our questioning, can you think of any motive among those of Voldemort's followers who escaped conviction that would drive them to this sort of revenge? We plan to initiate the questioning this afternoon using Veritaserum; any information you could provide before we begin would be helpful. **

**Sincerely,**

**H. Potter**

Severus sat down on the bed and put his head in his hands, leaning his elbows on his knees to support him while he considered this latest development. Of course every last one of the former death eaters would want to exact some sort of revenge on him for his betrayal of the Dark Lord at the end of the war. However, very few of them would have the resources to plant a man on the inside to sabotage his ingredients. In fact he could only think of one with the means to achieve this: Lucius Malfoy.

Severus was puzzled by this realization. Lucius and he had been on friendly terms in recent years; the man had changed dramatically after their defection from the Dark Lord's forces at the end of the war. Although Severus felt his punishment (or lack thereof) at the end of the trials for war crimes had been rather lax, the man had contributed millions of galleons to the rebuilding efforts of his own volition and seemed genuinely remorseful for his role during the war.

Moreover, Lucius had been aware of Severus's arrangement with Hermione, and the more Severus considered it, the more confused he became as he couldn't fathom a reason Lucius would want to disrupt what Severus thought he had conveyed was the one good thing in his life.

Hermione apparently noticed the concern openly displayed on Severus's face and crossed the room to sit beside him on the bed and gently rubbed his back. She waited a moment until he handed her the letter and waited for her to finish reading before he shared his confusion with her.

"Do you think Lucius would really do such a thing? He's your friend right? What motivation would he have had?" she asked as she continued to rub his back in soothing circular patterns.

"I don't know Hermione," he sighed as he sat up and penned a brief response to Potter, sharing his thoughts on the only logical source for a monetary contribution large enough to support such an operation. He handed the reply to the owl, which immediately flew off and returned to sit on the bed.

"Whether or not he is the responsible Death Eater, this whole situation falls squarely on my shoulders. You never would have been in this position if it weren't for the friends I've kept at various points during my life. I'm sorry Hermione. I've failed you."

"Don't you dare blame yourself for this Severus Snape!" Hermione quipped turning back to him and taking both of his hands in hers. "You have been nothing but supportive of me and done everything in your power to give me full control in this situation from the outset. Nothing you have done has invited this sort of behavior from anyone, regardless of who your friends might be. If Harry or Ron had been responsible, would you blame me for this situation?"

"Of course not," he grumbled, resigning himself to her logic. His witch certainly held a high opinion of him—certainly higher than his opinion of himself. Yet another reason he'd come to love her. He sighed as he heaved himself off the bed and pulled her up with him. "Let's have breakfast. It sounds like we've a long day ahead of us." He wouldn't tell her his feelings for her today…not after all that had transpired. He wouldn't taint that conversation with the memories of that morning. He would wait until he could ensure their only memories of that conversation would be complete happiness.


	10. Chapter 10

The following evening, Hermione was curled up on the sofa in front of the fire with the case file she'd brought home that evening from the office and a mug of hot chocolate. She would have preferred wine, but of course she couldn't imbibe in her condition. She was alone for the evening as Severus had set out with the intent of confronting Lucius to find out exactly what he had done to instigate their current situation and, more importantly why. She closed the file after re-reading the same paragraph for the fourth time and leaned her head back on the pillow she'd rested behind her head for support and thought back to their conversation the night before.

* * *

After the deliveryman was questioned by Harry and his team of aurors the day prior, Harry had called upon the couple while she and Severus had been preparing dinner together. Harry explained that their questioning of the suspect had indeed confirmed that Lucius Malfoy was somehow involved in the alteration of the valerian root, but the young man had been adamant that the ingredient had simply been swapped with product from Malfoy Laboratories and hadn't been damaged at the time they were swapped out. Severus confirmed that the properties of the root had been altered but they hadn't appeared damaged—hence the reason he'd used them without questioning their effectiveness.

"I know he's been experimenting on a variety of genetically modified plants with your classmate Mr. Longbottom," Severus explained to Hermione after Harry had departed, "but its unclear why he would have elected to swap out experimental ingredients with the usual order. He was one of the original investors when I started this business…I can't see why he'd want to sabotage my success now."

Hermione had agreed that it hadn't made sense for Lucius to potentially disrupt Severus's business permanently by delivering faulty ingredients, but it still didn't explain what had happened. Severus initially had wanted to storm off immediately to confront Lucius, but Hermione had prevented him from doing so that evening.

"Severus, I know you're upset love, but if we're confident he wasn't intentionally trying to ruin the business, I think he'll be more willing to open up about his objective in substituting an experimental plant if you approach him calmly." She approached him cautiously as his hands were still clenched at his sides in frustration. She cautiously placed her hand on his arm as he turned to meet her gaze. "If this wasn't an act of hostility, what has you so upset?"

"Your lack of choice is what has me so upset!" Severus huffed as he slammed his fist into the counter. "You didn't make the choice to have a child…MY child…and if this never happened you wouldn't have been forced into this sham of a marriage with me," he growled as he turned his back to her and continued chopping vegetables.

Hermione face immediately fell. Of course she was just as frustrated as he was about the implementation of the act two years earlier and the Ministry's involvement in what should have been a very private decision between two people. In spite of the circumstances, she'd actually developed real feelings for the man which had only intensified during their time living together fully since the discovery of her pregnancy and sealing of their marriage bond. Although she was typically one who preferred to express her emotions privately, she found the pregnancy hormones made this increasingly difficult to control, and as she crossed the kitchen to start greasing the baking dish for the roast, she couldn't prevent the tears from sliding down her face.

She knew she couldn't force Severus to love her the way she'd fallen for him, but she'd hoped that he too had come to realize just how compatible they were as a couple and was at least beginning to enjoy her company, even if he couldn't return her feelings. She'd hoped with time he would come to associate her with happiness and would grow to love their child despite the circumstances under which he or she had been conceived.

Lost in thought, Hermione didn't realize she'd stopped greasing the dish as she silently cried, and as Severus crossed the kitchen to add his chopped vegetables to the pan he stopped short as he realized she was crying and set the cutting board on the counter next to where they now stood together.

"Hermione," he started, "I'm so sorry I've done this to you; that I've put you in a position where you're involuntarily tied to me for life. You deserve so much better than the likes of me, and if there was any way I could reverse it…"

"Don't you dare, Severus!" she hissed as tears continued to flow down her reddened cheeks. "Don't you dare pin for one second your regret about what has happened on what I _should want_ or what you think I _deserve_ when we both know it's really you who's unhappy being stuck with an _insufferable know-it-all," _she finished as she firmly placed the pan on the counter and stormed out of the kitchen and retreated to their bedroom where she slammed the door before curling up on top of the duvet, openly sobbing now in frustration and hurt.

She never wanted to trap him…that's why she'd thought up the entire arrangement in the first place. Well…not entirely…she really had been irate at the ministry's attempt to control her life in such an archaic and chauvinistic way. But in spite of her frustration with the law, she had never been upset with her pairing to Severus. She'd always admired him and respected him, even when her classmates and much of the wizarding world vehemently hated him, she hadn't doubted his loyalties and defended his acerbic personality, even when it was directed at her as his student.

When she originally saw her matched partner on the ministry forms, she'd been relieved. At least she hadn't been paired with someone like Ronald who while nice enough could never keep up with her intellectually. She would have been bored to tears! She knew that she'd at least live a life full of stimulating conversation even if they never developed romantic feelings for one another.

But over the two years they'd been paired before their lives had been flipped upside-down, she had thought they'd become friends and had at least developed a mutual admiration and respect for one another. And she thought they'd progressed even further than that since she'd become pregnant and they'd been living together permanently. She'd known for weeks now that she loved him, and had started to think he was feeling similarly up until their conversation tonight. She drew a shuddering breath as she considered how wrong she had been to assume he could develop such feelings for her. Of course he'd never love her as he'd loved Lily, and she'd been stupidly sentimental to believe it might be possible.

Hermione forced herself to take several steadying breaths as she listened to Severus continue to prepare dinner in the kitchen through the thin walls of their flat above his shop. Eventually, her breathing evened out, and she fell asleep with tears in her eyes, wondering how she could have been so stupid to let herself fall for Severus and hope he'd return her feelings.

...

Hermione woke to Severus's wide palm caressing her back as he sat on the bed next to her sleeping form. "Hermione?" he questioned, "I've brought you some supper, love. I know you're upset, but you have to eat something for the sake of the baby."

As much as Hermione didn't want to face him at the moment, she knew he was right. She rolled over onto her back and allowed him to help her sit in their bed as he levitated a plate of steaming roast from the dresser to their bed. He continued to rub her back soothingly as she took a tentative bite, and they continued this way in silence until she'd fished the full helping and placed the plate on the nightstand next to her. She started to turn back to her side to go back to sleep when Severus stayed her by grasping both of her hands.

"Hermione," he sighed, clearly nervous and debating what he should say to her. "I'm sorry I allowed my anger to get the better of me earlier. I meant what I said when I apologized for doing this to you and taking away your choice to be with someone more worthy, but I never meant for you to think that I'm unhappy with you..."

Hermione looked down at their hands as the tears started flowing again. "There isn't anyone more worthy," she mumbled as the tears continued to flow. She looked up and upon seeing his confused expression she reiterated, "There is nobody else I'd rather have been matched with and be the father of my child. I should have told you from the start, but I was never unhappy with the match…just the way it was conceived."

Severus continued to stare at her blankly for a moment and then finally responded, "How can you say that Hermione. I'm a former Death Eater for Merlin's sake. I've done horrible things throughout my life—you deserve so much better…"

"At what point does my opinion of you matter in this?" Hermione interrupted as she stood up and crossed the room to lean on the dresser. She continued, "Yes you've made some terrible mistakes during your life Severus, but you spent years attempting to atone for those mistakes and nearly died trying to make things right not only in honor of those you hurt, but for the entire wizarding world. But I don't care about any of that! I want the man who stimulates me intellectually every day and challenges me to look at the world in new and wonderful ways. I want the man who makes me feel like my skin is on fire every time he touches me. It doesn't matter to me what happened in the past because those things are what turned you into the man I love, and I won't listen to another minute of you telling me I deserve better when all I want is you!"

She stood there breathing heavily for a moment, waiting for Severus to respond. After several minutes of continued silence, she finally became frustrated and turned to head out to the sitting room. She couldn't bear to look at him when she'd just poured her heart out and he couldn't find it in him to respond, not necessarily in kind, but at all. She started down the hallway when she suddenly felt his hand around her wrist and he pulled her back to face him. Still holding her wrist, he asked softly, "You love me?"

Hermione stepped toward him and laced her fingers with his. "Yes Severus, I love you. I understand why you probably won't ever feel the same for me…"

He interrupted her by wrapping his free hand around the back of her neck and pulled her into a tender kiss. He then rested his forehead on hers as he responded, "I love you too, Hermione. I was so afraid to tell you because I couldn't bear it if you didn't feel the same for me, but I fell in love with you the day you brought me that book for my birthday. Nobody had ever been so thoughtful and tried so hard to make me happy, and I realized then that I'd been falling for you for months."

Hermione stood on her tiptoes and pulled his head back down to hers as she kissed him passionately? "Really?" she whispered in wonder, "you really love me?"

"Yes witch I really love you. That's why I've felt so guilty these last months...I thought somehow I'd forced your hand by wishing this was all real…that I could have you for more than one week during the month. I thought maybe I'd subconsciously messed up the potion because I wanted a real family with you so badly; not immediately and certainly not without your input, but I wanted you to want that with me too."

"I do want all of that with you, Severus. I know I've said this before, but even if the timing isn't ideal, I have no regrets about this baby and the home we're creating here together as a result of our son or daughter entering our lives. I thought somehow I'd made a miscalculation or sabotaged our original plan to avoid the law because I'd been wishing for months that we would have found each other without its influence so we could be together without the ministry's interference. "She kissed him again. "You have no idea how happy I am, Severus."

"Me too, Hermione, "Severus replied as he smiled the first smile that fully reached his eyes since before Lily's death.

* * *

A/N: We're starting to come to the end of our story folks. Just one more chapter to explain how exactly this all happened in the first place and then an epilogue and I think we'll be done! Are there any other burning questions you'd like to see answered as we come to the end of our tale? And what ideas do you have for what I should write next?


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Lemons ahead-consider yourself warned! If they aren't your thing, you can skip past the first horizontal line after this note and continue reading the missing any main plot points in the story.

* * *

Severus awoke the next morning initially wondering if it had all been a dream. He still struggled to believe someone as amazing as Hermione could fall in love with him. But the beautiful witch in his arms convinced him he hadn't imagined it, and he gently pulled her closer to him, sighing and caressing the swell of their child. If anyone had asked him during the last twenty-five years whether he could imagine himself with a family, he would have snarled and probably called them a dunderhead. Even though he never saw himself in his current position, it didn't stop him from wishing it could be so.

While part of him was terrified he would repeat the mistakes of his parents, he secretly longed for the opportunity to prove he was a better man than his father had been. The anger he directed at the students he'd taught for many years partially stemmed from his regret that he'd ruined what he thought would be his only opportunity at a meaningful relationship and destroyed any hopes for the future that were pinned on Lily. Teaching her son had only increased his ire, and he'd taken those frustrations out on the boy and his friends. He was amazed that Hermione could see past the way he'd treated her during her schooling and see enough good in him to not only care for him, but hope for the future he'd long ago discarded as fantasy.

He inhaled deeply as Hermione snuggled against him and kissed her shoulder as he continued to stroke her belly. He heard her sigh contentedly and covered his hand with her own. "What has you so deep in thought this morning, Severus?" she asked.

He laced her fingers with his own and raised their conjoined hands to kiss hers as he replied, "You, my dear. I was merely wondering how I could be lucky enough for a woman like you to love me after all I've done in my life."

Hermione sighed as she rolled over to face him. She stroked her cheek as she looked deeply into his eyes for a moment as Severus gazed back into hers. He could only see love and devotion as he took in her expression, and he brought his arm around her back to draw her in for a kiss. After a moment she mumbled against his lips, "You wouldn't be the man I loved had things been different," she paused pulling back to make eye contact with him before continuing, "I do wish your life could have been easier and full of happiness, but I wouldn't change a single thing about you."

He could see the sincerity in her eyes, and before she could continue, Severus pulled her to him again and kissed her passionately. Their breathing became more rapid as Severus's hand worked his way along her side and palmed her breast over her shirt. His erection growing painfully, he caressed her hardening nipple as he ground into her, seeking additional contact.

He inhaled sharply as Hermione brought her hands between them and caressed his member through the lounge pants he'd worn to bed. He took the momentary pause in their kiss to clutch the hem of the oversized shirt she was wearing and draw it over her head. He quickly realized that she'd worn the shirt, and only the shirt without any undergarments or the tiny pajama shorts she usually slept in.

"Why Miss Granger," he intoned deeply as he appraised her nude form, "where are your knickers?" he questioned quirking an eyebrow as he attempted to control his lust for his young wife. He'd always thought she was beautiful, but pregnancy had only enhanced that beauty and he found himself nearly overcome with desire at the thought that he was responsible for her current state.

She blushed prettily and lowered her eyes as she replied, "I believe you know very well what happened to my knickers, Professor." She smirked as she drew out the last word, reminding him of their spectacular coupling the night before after revealing their love for one another.

They'd had no idea sex could be any more amazing than it already had become over the two years they'd spent complying with the law, but knowing they each felt the same way for each other had made it even more incredible than it had ever been, and clearly they were both looking forward to round two.

Hermione pulled Severus's shirt over his head and off as he kissed his way down her body to her already dripping core. "Mmmmmmmm," he hummed as he kissed her mons and drew himself up to kiss her lips, placing his hand where his face had been seconds before, "so wet for me already, Hermione." Normally he could have spent all day pleasuring his witch, but as he had lunch plans with Lucius, he didn't have the luxury of prolonging their intimacy this time.

He dipped a long finger into her channel and drew it out again to circle her clit. She gasped as he repeated the action and hastily reached for the drawstring on his lounge pants. She pulled them to his knees and he kicked them off as he continued teasing her, biting her lip as he kissed her and fingered her.

Hermione responded beautifully, arching her back and moaning as he began to thrust his fingers inside her. She grasped at his member, her small hand barely encircling his girth as she began to move it up and down his shaft. Beads of precum emerged from the bulbous head, and she used the moisture to her advantage as she continued to stroke him. "Love," Severus panted, "I'm not going to last if you keep that up." In response she cupped his balls with her other hand and massaged gently as he sucked in a breath. "Cheeky witch," he growled, adding a second finger and curving them to hit the perfect spot in her channel.

"Severus!" she gasped as he began to pump his fingers faster within her. "Severus! Please, I need you inside me!" she moaned. He removed his fingers and quickly replaced them with his throbbing cock. With one hand planted beside her head on the mattress and the other caressing her thigh which she'd wrapped around her back, he thrust into her, pausing momentarily to appreciate her warmth. He then began to thrust into her in earnest lowering his mouth to one of her nipples. He circled it with his tongue as he continued to piston into her, and she ran her hands through his long hair.

She panted as he circled her areola with his lips and began to suck, occasionally grazing the hardened peak with his teeth. "Severussssss," she moaned loudly, "Merlin…..love I'm so close!"

He chuckled deeply as he replaced his mouth with his palm and moved to her other breast. "Like that do you love?" he ground out as he continued to thrust into her. He was secretly glad she was close—she was so tight and he wasn't going to last much longer. He released her nipple with a pop and kissed her neck while he moved his hand between them. He barely made contact with her clit when she started fluttering around him.

"Severus! Ahhhhhhh….nnnnnnnnggggg Severus, I'm coming!" and with that she screamed and arched her back as her walls clenched around him. The increased tightness combined with the beautiful noises she made for him sent him over the edge almost instantaneously. He slowed as he felt his hot seed erupt from him and stilled as he brought his forehead against hers. After calming for a moment, she smiled radiantly up at him and said, "I love you, Severus."

"And I you my dear," he replied as he kissed her forehead and made to move next to her. As he started to pull out, Hermione suddenly gasped and brought her hand to her stomach. "Hermione?! What is it? Is something wrong with the baby?! I haven't hurt you have I?!" His mind was racing as he scrambled onto his knees trying to determine what was happening to her.

Eyes wide, Hermione looked up at him and smiled, instantly alleviating some of his panic. "The baby kicked!" she exclaimed. "Here, feel!" She brought his hand down to her stomach and guided him to a particular spot. For a moment he didn't feel anything, but then suddenly he felt the smallest pressure against his hand, and his eyes snapped up to meet hers.

His eyes welled with tears as he whispered, "Hermione…" Severus was at a loss. He'd been completely robbed of any ability to speak as he attempted to process everything he was feeling in that moment. He was overcome by so many emotions at once, but overpowering all of them was all-consuming love for his child and the woman carrying him or her. He kissed Hermione deeply, and then kissed the swell of their unborn baby and whispered, "Daddy loves you, dear one, and I'll never let any harm come to you."

* * *

Later that day, Severus apparated into a secluded alleyway near the restaurant in Muggle London where he had planned to meet Lucius. Of course Malfoy Sr. had suggested a wizarding establishment not far from Diagon Alley, but Severus thought it better to avoid any possibility of being overheard given the nature of his intended conversation. He walked along quickly, anxious to get this over with and return to the witch waiting in his bed.

After entering the restaurant, he saw Lucius immediately-he was seated at a table in a highly visible location with direct access to both the main entrance and another exit leading toward a small patio on the side of the building. If Severus didn't know better, he'd suspect his dining companion was already suspicious of a confrontation, but more likely Lucius had developed similar habits to himself following the war and wanted to ensure the ability to depart quickly if any "old friends" made an appearance. Most of Voldemort's other followers had been imprisoned or, in the case of many of his most dangerous supporters, killed after trials were conducted at the end of the war. There were a few who managed to escape any serious punishment via bribery or a lack of evidence, and while most of those lucky enough to dodge conviction had since fled the country to begin anew elsewhere, Severus would never let down his guard, particularly now for the sake of his wife and unborn child.

Lucius's trial had been another case entirely. Many had expected attempted bribery by the Malfoy family after they were arrested and released to wait trial after posting an exorbitant bond. Instead, Lucius had immediately funded several rebuilding efforts and refused legal consult leading up to the trial. When questioned about this decision by the press, Lucius simply stated, "The world is already fully aware of my transgressions. Let me be judged justly." In the end, Potter had stepped forward and testified on behalf of the Malfoys, sharing how the family had withheld information from Voldemort during that final year which directly resulted to his success in defeating him. Narcissa and Draco had been spared entirely and had immediately gone back to helping with rebuilding efforts, funding every bit they could with the family's money. Lucius had been sentenced to a few years in Azkaban, but was ultimately allowed early release on the condition that the Malfoy family continue to supporting several key projects to stabilize the wizarding community in the wake of Voldemort's destruction.

Lucius had also provided the funding for Severus to start his potions business, and although Severus had attempted to pay him back on multiple occasions, Lucius always used the money to by Severus some extravagant "gift" (usually prohibitively expensive ingredients for Severus's personal research). The pair corresponded regularly and had dinner or drinks every few months to catch up on the business and each other's lives. Severus had been puzzling the revelation of Lucius's involvement in he and Hermione's current situation since Harry had shared the news, and he couldn't come up with a reason Lucius would do something so potentially catastrophic to their lives. He had seemingly been so supportive of Severus's growing affections for the girl; the only explanation Severus had been able to imagine was that'd he'd made some misguided attempt at matchmaking.

The man in question stood upon seeing Severus enter the restaurant and shook his hand. "Severus! How are you old friend?" Lucius asked genuinely as he returned to his seat and placed his folded napkin across his knee. "I read in The Prophet that you and Miss Granger finally stopped avoiding that Ministry law and tied the knot! Did she finally succumb to your charms old boy?" He popped a grape from the fruit spread he'd clearly ordered while waiting for Severus to arrive into his mouth and gazed across the table with a sincere look of curiosity. Severus slipped inside his mind long enough only to determine the man hadn't a clue how his union to Hermione had actually transpired.

Severus was completely confused, but knew from Harry's report that Lucius was responsible for tampering with the delivered potions ingredients and decided to continue the conversation normally in the hopes Lucius would reveal something that might explain why. If not, he was determined to ask him outright at the end of their meal. Severus replied, "Yes. Miss Granger and I were actually married unwittingly after her current condition was revealed to the ministry." He paused here waiting for Lucius to catch on. He didn't wait long.

Lucius's face broke into a wide grin as he exclaimed, "Congratulations Severus. I never thought I'd live to see you become a father."

"I never thought I'd live to see it either." Severus drawled as he took a sip of his tea. "Her pregnancy came as a complete surprise to both of us."

"Really Severus? Surely you were the one to brew her contraceptive potion, and she certainly doesn't seem the type who would be careless enough to forget to take it."

"Indeed," Severus smirked as he replied; Lucius was setting himself up for an interesting brunch and he wasn't even aware of it. "Actually, we determined the cause was a faulty ingredient used to brew her monthly contraceptive."

Lucius nearly choked on the swig of tea he'd taken as Severus was responding, and Severus knew in that moment he had his older friend exactly where he wanted him. However, being a Slytherin he knew Lucius wouldn't admit defeat so easily, so he wasn't surprised when Lucius composed himself and continued, "And, um, when can we expect the happy addition? I'm sure Narcissa would love to throw a shower for you both."

Subtle. Severus elected to find out just how far he could push Lucius and proactively answered the question that was truly being asked. "She's 21 weeks along Lucius."

Lucius noticeably paled as he did the math in his head. "Severus, there's something we need to discuss."

"Go on..." Severus replied trying not to laugh at his friend's obvious discomfort.

"You know I've been collaborating with the Longbottom boy on several varieties of genetically modified plants? Well we've had great success in the lab with a new variety of Valerian Root which enhances the effectiveness of virtually every brew we've tested with decreased side effects usually caused by the presence of the ingredient in the potion. I knew you'd never agree to any clinical trials without subjecting the modified version to your own litany of tests, so I made an executive decision and swapped it with your usual delivery thinking you'd start getting positive feedback on the enhancement of your potions and I'd share the news of our discoveries with you at that time. You have to believe me Severus, I never would have organized the swap if I'd thought for a moment it would compromise the effectiveness of any of your potions in any way. How many of your other customers were affected by this? I can't believe this is the first I'm hearing of it! I'll of course cover any of your losses sustained and sponsor a full rebranding campaign if necessary..."

"There's no need to agonize yourself Lucius, I already knew the ingredients had been swapped and had suspected your involvement. To my knowledge Hermione and I were the only ones impacted. I've had no further complaints of ineffective potions and I've lost none of my customers since this has occurred. Perhaps if you share with me some of the other properties of the modified ingredient I might determine why we were the only ones impacted."

"So far all of our tests had only shown enhancements to the properties of the potions in which it was used. We've had researchers at the lab test it in every single common household brew, including contraceptive potions in addition to many other more complex potions. Most recently, our more exciting research shows this may have to do with a magical interaction with the psychological state of the wizard or witch in question. It seems the underlying desire of the witch or wizard for the potion to work in the manner expected plays largely into the increased effectiveness. What we've yet to determine is why."

Severus considered this for a moment. "So the potions' effectiveness is directly tied to the consumer's desire for the potion to work? Have you tested whether the opposite is true?"

"You mean whether the efficacy is negatively impacted if the imbiber doesn't want it to be effective?"

"The imbiber _OR _the brewer..." Severus clarified.

"Why on earth would we have tested that? In what scenario would a witch or wizard not want the potion...OHHHHHHHHH!" said Lucius, his eyes widening in sudden realization. But Severus was already out of his seat and headed toward the door, a smile playing on his lips. "Good luck my friend! Write to me soon with potential dates for Narcissa to host that shower for you and your bride!"

* * *

Severus sprinted up the stairs of his shop to the flat above and flung the door open hurriedly. Hermione was reclined on the sofa engrossed in the latest tome she'd acquired at Flourish and Blotts as he entered. Seeing his urgency, she sat up and set the book on the end table and asked, "Severus what's wrong? What happened at your brunch with Lucius? What did he say about..."

She was cut off as Severus kneeled before her and pressed his lips to hers. "It was us Hermione. We are the reason the potion didn't work!" he exclaimed kissing her soundly a second time.

Catching her breath for a moment after they parted, she looked at him confusedly. "I don't understand Severus. How could we be the reason the potion failed. I thought Lucius swapped out the ingredients!"

"He did Hermione. He swapped them out with a genetically modified version for which the effectiveness is directly controlled by the psychological desires of the brewer and the drinker. So in scenarios where the potion is expected and hoped to work as anticipated, the effectiveness is increased, so in our case..."

"The potion didn't work because neither of us wanted it to work," Hermione breathed, tears welling in her eyes. "Severus, we both wanted this baby?" she questioned.

"Yes, love..." he smiled, "we both wanted this baby." He clutched both of her hands in his as he continued, "Thank you, Hermione. Thank you for choosing me and wanting this life with me. Will you marry me love? On our own terms this time without the Ministry's influence?"

"Yes, Severus. And I'd have married you before if you'd only asked. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life showing you how much I love you." And with that Severus scooped her up in his arms and carried her to her bedroom where they intended to carry on showing each other just how much they loved one another for many years to come.

* * *

A/N: Only an epilogue to go now everyone!


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: I can't believe this is the end of the very first fanfiction I've ever written! I've wanted to try my hand at writing for a long time and this is the first time I've had the courage to do so. Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed, and/or reviewed this story. Your feedback was so rewarding and really made me want to keep going despite all of my insecurities about sharing anything I'd written with the world for the first time.

Here's to (hopefully) more stories in the weeks and months to come!

* * *

Hermione woke to the sound of pots and pans clanging from the kitchen. She smiled to herself as she carefully maneuvered to stand and put on her robe and slippers. After several attempts to close the robe around her protruding stomach, she abandoned the robe and decided to walk downstairs to the kitchen and see what was happening. A few weeks after meeting with Lucius, the Malfoys had surprised them with the keys to a new cottage and wouldn't hear their protests that their 'gift' was too extravagant. Although they had finally proved the modified Valerian Root acted in exactly the way Severus had explained, Lucius still felt responsible for their lack of control in the timing of both their marriage and the baby. He wouldn't hear any of the couple's protests that they were elated at the outcome nor would he accept any other 'solution' Severus and Hermione proposed and insisted they accept the house since they "needed the space for their growing family."

As Hermione made her way down the stairs, she could make out Severus grumbling to himself about something or another and heard another crash and a squeal of delight as she rounded the corner and spotted their 4-year old daughter Avalie clapping in her booster seat at the table while Severus attempted to wrangle breakfast. Hermione leaned against the door frame and giggled as she asked, "Darling do you need some help?"

Severus turned and took in his gorgeous wife for a moment before responding, "Witch, I am a world-class potion's master. I should be able to manage pancakes for Merlin's sake!"

At that precise moment, flames shot out of the pan and their daughter clapped and screamed, " 'Gin Daddy. Do it a'gin!" Hermione doused the flames with her wand and crossed the kitchen to ascertain the damage. Although breakfast had been ruined, otherwise everything seemed fine, so she took a banana from a bowl on the counter, peeled it and broke it apart into smaller pieces and gave them to their daughter to nibble while they devised another solution for breakfast. When she was born, they'd chosen the name Avalie because it meant 'desired' since their mutual desire to have a child was what united them under the terms of that ridiculous ministry law. The law was thankfully repealed a few months after her birth, and this second pregnancy had been both desired _and planned._

Leaving Avalie to her banana, she joined Severus at the counter and wrapped her arms around him as much as possible with her stomach being in the way. "Thank you for attempting to make us breakfast, darling." Hermione said as she kissed Severus.

"Anything so you can get a little extra sleep; I know how exhausted you've been lately." He wrapped his arms around her kissing her deeply before he placed one hand on her belly and asked, "Did our little man keep you up again last night?"

"No more than usual. He'll be here before we know it, so I'd better appreciate the sleep I'm able to get now." With Avalie, they'd decided to remain surprised regarding her sex until she was born. Severus was already anxious enough about fatherhood, he found it surprisingly helpful to envision a little as possible about what to expect in the months leading up to her birth. Of course as soon as she arrived, their daughter had him wrapped around her little finger and they'd been virtually inseparable since. This time, however, they'd decided to find out in advance to make it easier to talk to Avalie about the arrival of her sibling. Having both been only children, they knew they wanted to try to have more than one baby, but they weren't sure how their daughter would react to the news. They needn't have worried-Avalie was ecstatic about the idea of having a little brother to dote on, even if she had to be gentle with him until he was big enough to play with her.

Severus kissed Hermione again before leading her over to the table with their daughter and helping her into a chair. "Why don't I run to bakery and get us some pastries and coffee and some milk for Avalie for breakfast?" he asked.

"That sounds perfect, Severus. I'll entertain this little one until you get back."

Severus kneeled in front of her and gently stroked her legs as he asked, "You have your wand just in case right? I won't be gone long but send me a Patronus if you need me. Muggles be damned."

Avalie giggled, "Daddy said a bad word!"

"Yes he did! Very naughty Daddy. Mommy will have to punish him later, won't she?" Hermione said playfully as squeezed Severus's hand and winked. She kissed him before he rose to leave, and as he walked toward the door to their garden, she reflected on just how wonderful their life together was, and just how lucky she was they'd both had the same wish to share this future together.

-NOX-


End file.
